Change Nepalese Mission

Change Nepalese Mission A Proposal on Empowering Women through Information and Communication Technology in Chitwan district of Nepal

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Pradeep Sapkota Executive Director Change Nepalese Mission Khoaltandi, Chitwan, Nepal +97756-530624, +9779845155903 Email: dell.sapkota07@gmail.com Skype:- pradeepsapkota2000

Empowering Women through Information & Communication Technology – Change Nepalese Mission

Table of Contents Section I: Background and Introduction o Environmental Context: Introduction to Target Market o About CNM o Goals and Objectives

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Section II: Major Activities/Services By Category o Basic Computer Literacy o Financial Empowerment o Public Health o Education o Social & Political Empowerment

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Section III: Sustainability and Financial Data

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Contact

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Empowering Women through Information & Communication Technology – Change Nepalese Mission

Section I: Background and Introduction Environmental Context- Introduction to Target Market Rural Women in Nepal have very limited access to resources within the public sphere due to a series of austere and highly patriarchal sociocultural restrictions that are placed upon them. Nepalese society places major cultural and spiritual significance on keeping women in the dark- both figuratively and literally1 - and the resulting lack of access to information is a major part of what keeps so many women in such abject and existential poverty. Due in no small part to this lack of information, women have little access to markets, health care, education, and most legitimate opportunities to participate in income generating activity. Moreover, when women are employed, their wages are typically 20-25% less than those typically paid to men- although most women (as many as 70%) are typically confined to unpaid or extremely low wage labor in the informal service sector2.

Change Nepalese Mission In spite of a series of national conferences and international conventions on the status of women , women in Nepal3continue to be treated as second class citizens- and with little access to information, many lack the both the knowledge and the means needed to assert even their most basic and fundamental human rights. Ultimately then, the problem facing women may rightly be described as a kind of subjugation by way of isolation. As long as women remain effectively cut off from the economically productive aspects of society, the future for Nepalese women (and thus the rest of Nepalese Society) remains far from promising. Women comprise more than half of the national population4, which means that if women cannot achieve economic parity with men, then it will be difficult for Nepalese society as a whole to progress. Hence it is important to make the economic empowerment a priority for national development.

Empowerment, in this context, means affording women the necessary mechanisms to achieve economic parity with men. In the end, this will come down to giving women the ability and the autonomy to improve their economic situation, and one way to begin doing so is to introduce them to ICT. ICT (or Information & Communication Technology)5can help to create a favorable environment for economic growth insomuch that it improves businesses, creates jobs, and promotes the growth of entrepreneurship by prodigiously extending the sphere of participation in the public space.

This refers chiefly to Chhaupadi ((Nepali:छाउपडी); a Hindu tradition in Western Nepal that prohibits menstruating women from participating in normal activities because they are considered to be impure. During this period of isolation, women are confined to a shed or a dark room and are bereft of many basic liberties such as right to attend school, the ability to bathe, and even warm blankets to sleep under.

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As a result, even though most women have more responsibilities and work longer hours than their male counterparts, the majority of that work is not considered valuable to the economy and is therefore rarely recognized.

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Including: The International Conference on Population and Development (1995), Four World Conferences of Women convened by the UN since1975, and the UN’s Millenium Development Goals.

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and in terms of labor hours, they often contribute more to society than men.

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ICT is an umbrella term encompassing basically any type of communication device or application, including: radio, television and any application that satisfies the purposes of telecommunication.

Empowering Women through Information & Communication Technology – Change Nepalese Mission

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Through ICT, women can begin to shed the weight of the veritable caste system in which they live and start integrating into the mainstream of their society and the world. Ideally, doing so can open the door to education, job training, and an array of social services to alleviate the many household responsibilities that can keep women tied town and isolated in their homes6. This is precisely why it is so imperative to help women from developing countries understand the significance and the potential of these technologies, which is where Change Nepalese Mission (hereafter CNM) comes into play.

CNM is a compact team of youth dedicated to serving the impoverished who are deprived of today’s modern facilities and services- particularly marginalized women. Its main objective is to introduce such women to ICT’s in the hope that by transcending the physical/geographical frontiers of their own homes and countries, they can then begin to also transcend the social and cultural barriers that are imposed upon them by the society in which they live.

Our team members, though from different walks of life, have common objectives and are experienced in their respective fields. The methods that we employ as an organization have been tried and proven to be pathways out of extreme poverty in countries all around the world- and for the rural women of Nepal they carry that same potential. These methods, and the nuances of their provision, are described in the sections below.

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“Overall Development, Improved Agriculture, and Global Villages”: Just some reasons why ICT matters to rural women.

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The provision of ICT access to women may also be a fitting solution from a cultural context- since in Nepalese culture women are seldom permitted to have contact with men outside of their families or their households. To this effect, while certain cultural traditions may keep women isolated within the home, they will not isolate them from the rest of the world. Thus, it is our hope that by transcending the physical barriers of their own homes, they can begin to also transcend the cultural and spiritual barriers that are imposed upon them by the society in which they live.

Empowering Women through Information & Communication Technology – Change Nepalese Mission

About Change Nepalese Mission

Change Nepalese Mission is a nonprofit organization serving the impoverished rural population of Bharatpur, Chitwan (located in Nepal’s central development region). The purpose of the organization is to offer social assistance and economic empowerment to Central Nepal’s poorest and most marginalized populations through the provision of ICT services.

Mission Creating self-sufficient and sustainable communities that are aware of ICT methods and able to use them to meet public health & social welfare challenges.

Vision To improve the quality of life of people in poverty by helping them to become self-sufficient, protect/defend their Human Rights, and participate in meaningful economic development .

Services at a Glance o

Providing Basic Computing Skills for literate females: By allowing the community to reach previously unconnected populations and understand their challenges/needs, ICT can create multiple avenues for economic development through new innovative thinking and methods. This process can empower women with access to information, and thereby a greater voice in public affairs.

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Providing knowledge and skills on e-learning and e-commerce: ICT is an increasingly important mechanism for education delivery because it can extend learning beyond the parameters of the classroom and reduce the cost of education. In addition, it is also a valuable platform for entrepreneurship; allowing women to present & share their ideas, products, services and skills with the entire world.

Empowering Women through Information & Communication Technology – Change Nepalese Mission

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Providing literacy programs for women in rural communities: ICT can be a powerful tool for development, but only for people who possess the education and the understanding of how to use it properly. This is not the case for the many women in Nepal who are illiterate. For women to take advantage of ICT and the benefits it can offer, they must be proficient in literacy.

Goals and Objectives o o o

To increase female literacy and improve the educational status of women.

To allow academically deserving but economically underprivileged young women to pursue their studies through ICT. To empower the women of Geetanagar VDC in Chitwan District through ICT within the next two years.

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CNM: to increase female literacy and improve the educational status of women

Empowering Women through Information & Communication Technology – Change Nepalese Mission

Section II: Major Activities/Services By Category I. Basic Computer Literacy o

Basic Computer Course Training: Each course will consist of 3 month packages of daily one hour classes. Topics will include fundamental theory, typing, Microsoft Office, and accounting software. Certificates of completion will be given to program graduates to help them qualify for jobs.

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Troubleshooting Training: After completing the initial three month course, participants can spend an additional month learning to troubleshoot problems and maintain the operation of their machines.

II. Financial Empowerment o

E-Commerce: Women who have been limited from participating in the economically productive aspects of social life will utilize our services to become economically active from within their own homes. In addition, this will present a platform for women to launch and run their own businesses.

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Online & SMS Banking: With online banking, women can engage in all of the traditional activities of banking whenever they need from any laptop, tablet, or smartphone. Moreover, from a single site female entrepreneurs will be able to set up budgets, get organized for tax season, and track their spending- including creating SMS alerts when account balances are low. These activities will all be very valuable in helping women accumulate financial assets, thus enabling them to further participate in the economic aspects of society.

III. Public Health

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Tele-medicine: In coordination with the District Public Health Office (DPHO), CNM will improve access to medical personnel and expertise that would otherwise not be consistently available to the rural population. The technologies this collaboration uses will facilitate swift and efficient communication between patient and medical staff. Additionally, they will allow for the transmission go medical, imaging, and health informatics data from one site to another with substantial ease.

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Screen tests for hearing & visual impairment: During our baseline survey of community needs, we found that there was a high prevalence of hearing and visual defects. To those whose impairment would prevent from using ICT, CNM will distribute hearing amplifiers and spectacles7

On the basis of necessity, the expected allocation quantity will be a maximum of around 200 pieces.

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IV. Education o

E-Learning: Community members lacking access due to socio-cultural barriers, economic shortage, or geographic isolation will be able to pursue their studies through internet facilitated distance learning. Additionally, students of our program will receive CD ROMS with specialized lessons/academic content presented in the local language so that women will be able to understand.8

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Adult Literacy Program: Classes will be run in the evening for women who do not know how to read, write, or perform simple mathematical calculations9. For women to take advantage of ICT and the benefits it can offer, they must be proficient in literacy. Accordingly, we work to develop this core competency and measure the women’s progress through period assessments.

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Provision for Higher Education in ICT: In conjunction with out adult literacy program, we will work to connect women with resources that can enable them to pursue higher learning in ICT. With internet facilitation, high achieving women can take classes and even enroll in universities all around the world- in some cases for free10. Over the long term, our aim is to connect academically deserving young women to the financial resources needed to further their educational pursuits.

V. Social and Political Empowerment o

Radio Program: In partnership with a local radio station, CNM will produce a weekly broadcast on issues relevant to local women; including topics such as health care, human trafficking, economic empowerment, and legislation. To that end, the purpose of the program is not to promote any political agenda but to empower women with the information they will need to exercise their political rights. Basically, this broadcast will amount to information for the public interest.

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Empowerment Kits: These kits will include both information and awareness materials (such as flip charts, posters, and other visual aids) on issues and topics that are important to women such as women’s rights and the importance of ICT . Accordingly, we work11 to develop this core competency and measure the women’s progress through period assessments.

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Learning to write the English alphabet.

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Among other lessons, these pedagogical CD’s will teach the women to speak and write in basic English.

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These daily hour long classes will run for 5 month periods and contain approximately 20 students per class cohort.

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Universities such as MIT, Harvard, Oxford and many others offer a free online platform called Open Courseware, which allows internet users to experience college level courses and instruction. While such courses may not in every case count toward a degree or certification, they are certainly a valuable learning tool for rural women who might not have any other access to tertiary education.

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Other issues of importance to women may include Human trafficking, medical information, gender based violence, and even their rights and protections as citizens.

Empowering Women through Information & Communication Technology – Change Nepalese Mission

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Section III: Sustainability & Financial Data To ensure the sustainability of this project over the long term, CNM will render its services from a computer lab facility jointly managed by the VDC through a management committee made up of local women. The committee will charge a minimum service fee to the facility’s users which will go toward laboratory maintenance and the provision of internet access. This arrangement will increase the fiscal viability of the services we offer over the long term; a fact demonstrated by the figures below.

Budget Requirement to set-up Computer Lab as a Pilot Project for 2 years S.N

Category 1

a) b) c) d) e) f)

Quantity Preliminaries Lab Setup

Rate($)

Laptops(Wireless) Tables Chairs Projector Solar energy Photocopy Machine

Piece Piece Piece Piece Pls refer details below* Piece

Internet Antenna Wireless Router Cables + Rj45 Internet Fee

For Internet Connections piece 1 Piece 1 meter / Piece 20 meter +20 piece 256 kb/ps(24 month) 24

2 a) b) c) d)

Unit

7 7 7 1 1 1

Total($)

600 41 13 500 3500 300 Total (A)

4200 287 91 500 3500 300 8878

100 50

100 50 10 480 640

20 Total(B)

3 a) b) c) d)

House Rent Stationary Communication Transportation

Miscellaneous 1 Room (Hall) (24 month) 24(month) During Project During Project

24

50

1200 200 100 200 1700

24

100

2400

24

150

3600

50

1200 7200

100

400 400

Total (c) 4 a)

Teacher

b)

Project Coordinator

c)

Accountant

Project Management(Salaray) During Project ( 24-Months) During Project ( 24-Months) During Project ( 24-Months)

24 Total(D)

5 a)

Expert Allowance

Workshop/ Trainings 4 times during a project

4 Total(E)

Total (A+B+C+D+E) 5% Contingency

18818 940,9 19758,9

Grand Total

S.N

Particulars 1 Solar Pannels 2 Battery 3 Solar Inverter 4

*Detail Information About Solar Measurement Quantity (Pics) 125 Watt 150 A.H 3.5KVA Other expenses for wires, solar stand etc

Rate ($) 8 4 1

150 350 850 Grand Total

Total ($) 1200 1400 850 50 3500

Empowering Women through Information & Communication Technology – Change Nepalese Mission

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Change Nepalese Mission Empowering Women through Information and Communication Technology in Chitwan district of Nepal

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For more information, please contact me via email: dell.sapkota07@gmail.com Kind Regards, Pradeep Sapkota Change Nepalese Mission(CNM) Organization NGO, Nepal Country Director African Views Organization Country Representative Worldview Mission Earth Keeper, Earth Council Embassy Trust (ECET) Country Coordinator Earth Charter Youth Group Ph:- +977-56530624 Mob:- +977-9845155903 Skype: pradeepsapkota2000 Email:- dell.sapkota07@gmail.com

Empowering Women through Information & Communication Technology – Change Nepalese Mission